This invention relates to lawn mowers, and more particularly, to apparatus for cleaning lawn mowers such as push mowers and riding mowers after they have been used to cut the grass.
Power mowers used to cut grass have a housing or cowling under which the mower blades are housed. As grass is cut, blades of grass get drawn up against the underside of the housing. Because of moistness and the pressure exerted on the blades, the blades compact so that by the time a grass cutting operation is complete there is a layer of compacted material compressed against the underside of the mower. If this material is not cleaned away, it will, over time, effect the mower's efficiency. For a push mower, turning the mower on its side and spraying the underside with a hose to flush the accumulated clippings and other debris away may be a relatively simple task if the mower is a smaller, lightweight mower. However, for larger, heavier mowers and large deck mowers such as riding mowers, many of which include more than one set of blades, this is not so simple.
Various approaches have been previously tried to provide a mower cleaning system by which the user can readily clean a mower after use. One such approach has been to install a coupling or fitting on the mower housing. A hose such as a garden hose attaches to the fitting and water flowing through the fitting is then sprayed into the underside of the mower housing. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,499,492, 5,027,590, and 3,905,181 are exemplary of this approach. A second approach is to provide a manifold or rail which is connectable to the end of a hose or water valve. The mower is rolled over the manifold, the water is turned on, and openings in the manifold or rail allow the water to spray upwardly against the underside of the housing. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,673,856, 5,651,242, and 3,856,028 are exemplary of this approach.
While devices incorporating these approaches may be effective to clean the underside of a mower, both have drawbacks. With the former, the pattern of distribution may not be such as to completely or efficiently flush the accumulated material away. With the latter, the device not only must be separately stored, but because the device is beneath the mower, clippings, dirt, small rocks, etc. may wash into the holes through which the water spouts, plugging or blocking the holes and reducing the efficiency of the device.